CHRAJ can probe Mahama’s Ford gift without a commissioner – CPP

The Youth League of the Convention People's Party (CPP) has expressed confidence in the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice's (CHRAJ) ability, to adequately probe into President John Mahama's acceptance of a $100,000 Ford Ford gift.

This they believe could take place regardless of the fact that the Commission currently does not have a substantive Commissioner.

Some analysts have suggested that, the absence of a substantive CHRAJ boss, could mean the Commission may not be properly constituted to investigate the President.

But speaking to Citi News, the Secretary to the CPP Youth League, Hardi Yakubu, said they are not worried because it is the institutional mandate that matters, not the people there.

“It doesn't matter whether there is a substantive commissioner or not…once there is somebody who is capable of doing the work that is enough for us. If you look at the press releases we gave on previous occasions, we talked about how some people sought to discredit CHRAJ's ability to investigate this matter.”

“We think that those objectives are presumptions and dangerous. The lack of the substantive commissioner doesn't limit the capacity of the institution. We think that CHRAJ is very much capable of doing the work and we are going to continue to trust in the institutions of state,” Mr. Yakubu said further.

The party's youth wing has a petition pending before CHRAJ, in which the group is calling for investigations into the circumstances surrounding the gift given to President Mahama.

President Mahama has been criticized for allegedly accepting a Ford Expedition vehicle from a Burkinabe contractor, Dzibril Kanazoe, which some have argued constitutes a bribe and conflict of interest.

Government has since admitted receiving the gift but denied it amounts to corruption or conflict of interest on the part of the President, since the vehicle has been added to the pool of government vehicles.

Why Mahama might be wrong for accepting gift

Article 284 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana states, “A public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts or is likely to conflict with the performance of the functions of his office.”

This constitutional provision has informed a new bill, Conduct of Public Officers Bill, 2013, presented by cabinet to Parliament.

According to Section 21 (b) a public officer many not “ accept a gift, favour or an advantage that has the potential to influence the proper discharge of the public officer's functions or judgment, from a person with whom the public officer comes into contact in relation to the public officer's functions.”

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By: Esther Knox/citifmonline.com/Ghana